Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stressed that “massive protests in his country will not lead to regime change”, calling it “not such a big problem”.

Abdullahian said in an interview with American NPR radio, “I assure Westerners that nothing serious is happening in Iran and there will be no regime change,” and added that “the circumstances of the death of a young woman, Mahs Amini, made us all very sad,” noting, that “Similar incidents happen all over the world.

Abdullahian noted that “the protests were peaceful at first” but blamed “external elements such as satellite channels and some websites that encourage people in Iran to take to the streets and resort to violence.”

He continued, “Of course there are demonstrators and they express their demands in a peaceful manner, but most of these people are now on the streets, led and directed by well-organized channels,” noting that “things in his country are under control.”

To the use of force against the demonstrators, Abdullahyan responded by asking, “What did the US do when the people tried to take over Congress?”